How The Vienna VA Foodies Group Grew Into A Movement For Good

VIENNA, VA — Over a year ago, Vienna VA Foodies was started as a Facebook group celebrating Vienna's restaurants. Today, it has become a community effort to help restaurants, thank first responders and assist people in need.

Lydia Russo, a real estate agent with Lydia Real Estate, started the Facebook group with her friends Christopher Drinkuth and Katherine Drinkuth to shine a light on Vienna's food scene. But once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the group began receiving messages from restaurants experiencing a drop in sales and other hardships.

"When the pandemic happened a few months later, it became a lifeline for the restaurants open," Russo told Patch.

The group began posting which restaurants were open and offering takeout. Every day, Russo would highlight a new business in hopes of leaving an impression with potential customers.

Russo started arranging for food deliveries throughout the town, with as many as 10 deliveries scheduled each day. As a Vienna Volunteer Fire Department member, she wanted to do meals for the fire department. But the meals have also gone to other first responders, front-line workers, food insecure families, elderly residents and Vienna residents who go above and beyond or need an act of kindness.

On the day of Russo's interview with Patch, she had various food deliveries lined up. On one day, Vienna VA Foodies was sending meals to a Fairfax center providing mediation services, delivering pizza to food insecure families, surprising the Vienna Panera manager with an Italian Gourmet basket, and sending pajamas from Trousseau to a cancer patient recovering from treatment.

The next day, Vienna VA Foodies fed the Inova Schar Cancer Institute and sent food to food insecure families from two schools. Those are just a few examples of the food deliveries Vienna VA Foodies members find out about in the group every day.

Russo said the group has increased her awareness about local food insecurity. Food insecure families are usually identified through schools, where low-income may qualify for free and reduced-priced meals. Often, Russo will try to coordinate meals a week ahead of time, but there are sometimes cases of urgent needs.

"The teachers are the ones who reach out," said Russo. "They know who needs something. Vienna Foodies is in constant contact with teachers, counselors and social workers to provide meals and [an] extra something for these families."

The efforts have not been limited to the Vienna area. When the Black Lives Matter movement grew over the summer, Vienna VA Foodies raised funds to help the Anacostia area of D.C. In one day, the group raised $20,000 to support Martha's Table, a nonprofit helping children, families and the community.

All of the food deliveries have been done with the support of Vienna VA Foodies group members. Russo said members provide funds through Venmo, which has helped deliveries going for nearly seven months now. Residents also volunteer to handle the food deliveries and often post pictures and updates in the group afterward.

Another major fundraising arm is Rustic Love Vienna, started by Vienna resident Michelle Davila. She, her family and neighborhood children started making Rustic Heart Signs to support the Vienna VA Foodies. These handpainted wood signs with hearts have become a popular item among Vienna residents, drawing lines at recent pop-up sales and finding success through online orders.

Aside from the handpainted signs, items have included ornaments, shirts and more. Local businesses have partnered with Rustic Love Vienna to offer their own items: Ben & Jerry's Vienna has a tie-dye T-shirt; and Vienna Vintner has a 2018 cabernet sauvignon with a Rustic Love heart. Rustic Love Vienna has raised nearly $60,000 for Vienna VA Foodies so far, according to Russo.

What's next for Vienna VA Foodies

The group has grown in the recent months, which means more people to support food deliveries or simply promote restaurants and local happenings. Before the pandemic, Vienna VA Foodies had around 2,100 members. It recently surpassed 9,000 members, largely made up of Vienna residents and neighbors.

Russo used the momentum of Vienna VA Foodies to create a nonprofit called One Neighborhood Foundation. That means once the IRS grants its approval, donations to support the Vienna VA Foodies food deliveries will be tax-deductible. Since running the group has been a day-to-night commitment amid her real estate job, Russo hopes to have a team for the foundation once things get back to normal after the pandemic. The foundation is taking donations for the food deliveries through Venmo @oneneighborhood.

Russo said anyone is welcome to join the Vienna VA Foodies group. Whether a person can donate even a dollar or post about a local restaurant, that gesture won't go unnoticed.

"We are so thrilled with the wonderful response from the community and hope for the Vienna VA Foodies group to continue to grow," said Russo.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.